The present invention is in the field of automotive-type battery terminals which incorporate fuse links in the terminal structure.
Battery terminals are known in which terminals adapted at one end to be secured to a battery post, and at the other end to be crimped to a wire or cable, include an intermediate fuse link between the terminal connection point and the wire connection point so as to interrupt the connection in the event of overcurrent. Such fuse-integrating terminals are often in the form of clamp-type or eyelet-type terminals adapted to be secured at one end to a vehicle battery post.
While such fuse-incorporating terminals provide convenient overcurrent protection without the need for separate fuse structure or wiring, when the fuse link does blow, the replacement of the terminal is time-consuming since it must not only be disconnected from the battery post, but further must be uncrimped from the wire or cable to which it is secured and replaced with an entirely new fused terminal unit.
The present invention is a fused battery terminal which is more easily serviced (i.e., replaced) when the fuse link built into the terminal blows. The terminal includes a battery connection end incorporating the fuse link, and a cable connection end adapted to be mechanically and electrically connected to a power supply cable. A portion of the terminal between the fused battery end and the cable-connecting end is designed to be easily separated, cut or broken when the fuse blows so that the fused battery end can be discarded and replaced with a new fused battery end. To achieve a simple, field-replaceable connection between the cable-connecting end and the new fused battery end, the cable-connecting end is provide with a reattachment section that survives the separation in a form adapted to be easily secured to a mating portion of the new fused battery end. In one preferred embodiment, the new fused battery end is different from the original, discarded fused battery end, in that the new fused battery end has attachment structure mateable with the reattachment section of the cable-connecting end.
In a preferred form, the reattachment section of the cable-connecting end is provided with a bolt hole adapted to be connected by bolt or similar connector to a bolt hole on the new fused battery end.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon further reading of the specification, in light of the accompanying drawings.